Audio Book Review: The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: July 2019
 

The city of Crystal, Colorado is an affluent community in the state of Colorado. When a new public school for gifted students is slated to open just in time for the upcoming school year, close friends will put everything on the line to ensure that their children make the cut. Because out of the 100,000 students who are eligible to apply, only 1000 will gain entrance to the school. Who is smart enough to make the cut and what lengths will the parents and guardians go through to make sure their child is part of the elite who make it into the school.

This book was chosen as the first book of the year for our Book Club. This was the first I had heard of the book and the author and I wasn't really sure what to expect. I listened to the book as I knew that may be the only way I would get to it with the holidays.

From the very beginning I was drawn into the story. This particular group of people had met about 11 years prior when their children were in a swimming class as infants.
Rose and Gareth - They have been married for many years, but their marriage is lying on the brink. Will marriage counseling work to save their relationship? They are the parents to Emma Q. Emma is a normal 10 year old girl who enjoys playing with her best friend Emma Z. Emma Z is bossy and doesn't like to read the way Emma Q does, even though she has a library in her home with all of the latest titles. Her parents are Samantha and Kevin and they are the wealthiest family in the group and feel the need to prove that their daughter is smart. Next we have Beck and Azra. They are divorced and Beck is now married to their former nanny Sonia. They have twin boys Aiden and Charlie who are soccer stars. Finally there is Lauren who is a widow with two children, Tessa and Zander. Tessa is 16 and has been babysitting the younger kids for a while now. She just got through a rough spot after the death of her dad. And everyone call Zander a genius and know he is sure to get in the new school. Finally Solia and her son Atik with the grandmother Cheyn'a. This family cleans the houses of the other families, but Atik is very smart and Cheyn'a knows he will get an A on the test.

Watching these families navigate their lives and the lives of their children to get into this school is quite amazing. The things that they do, the secrets that are kept and the lies that are told are quite amazing. I have some gifted kids myself, but I don't see myself putting them through this kind of torture for a school. Kids should be able to be kids without having to worry about being involved with too many activities. I live in an area where the schools are very highly ranked and living in a certain area gives your kids an advantage just based on the school they attend.

Very good book. Interesting read.

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Review: Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ginny Moon is 14 years old and she has autism. She has finally found her Forever Family with Brian and Maura after being taken from her Birth Mom, Gloria when she was 9 years old. She was malnourished and badly bruised at that time. Now she has been through several foster homes and is happy to finally be in a permanent spot. But there is still one thing missing that Ginny hasn't seen since she was 9 and the police took her away, her Baby Doll. Ginny took very good care of her Baby Doll and she is afraid that now there is no one to take care of it. How will she find her way back to the Baby Doll she loved so much and took such good care of?

This book hit me from the very firs page. As a mother of a child on the Autism Spectrum, I could really resonate with Ginny's character and her little quirks. Benjamin Ludwig did a great job of capturing this character.

I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. I have read a couple of other books about children with autism but this one fit well with me. Ginny is determined to get her way, no matter the cost. She tries hard to explain to everyone about her Baby Doll. Her therapist, her foster parents, her Forever Parents, but no one seems to understand. No one that is except for Gloria, Ginny's Birth mother. When Ginny is finally able to get in contact with her, she is happy to find out that Gloria still has her Baby Doll and is taking care of it. And her cousin Crystal with C is helping out as well. Even though everyone tries to buy Ginny a new doll, nothing will be able to replace the Baby Doll she took care of for a whole year in the apartment with Gloria.

I'm afraid if I say too much more, I will give away too much of the story. Please read this book, it will touch your heart.

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Review--Those Girls by Chevy Stevens

Those Girls by Chevy Stevens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

So the third time is the charm. I have really been in a book funk lately and haven't picked up a book in a very long time. I checked this book out three times from the library before I was able to finish it. BUT THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS BOOK!

My mother introduced me to Chevy Stevens a few years ago and ever since, I try to read whatever she has put out. So far I think I am missing one maybe two. This book was so exciting and a thrill to read, I was made that my mood made it hard for me to pick up a book.

Jess, Courtney and Dani live with their father in Canada. Their father is usually gone for weeks at a time working and the girls are left to fend for themselves and work the ranch they live on to survive. When their father returns home late one night after drinking and finding out some disturbing news about his middle daughter Courtney, he is quite upset and hurls all of his anger on the girls. When the unthinkable happens, the girls know they must escape before they are thrust back into the foster care system. On the run from their father and their past, they make a stop in a small town when their truck breaks down. Only things here only get worse for the girls. Trapped for days with no one knowing where they are, they manage to escape again, running for their lives.

Now almost 18 years later, life is very different for the girls who are now women. They have changed their names and tried to move on from the horrific events that have plagued their past. When one of the sisters is gone for a few days, they don't think much of it, but when her niece goes missing too, there are many questions in the search for these women. Haunted by their past the remaining sisters travel back to the small town that changed their lives to try and find their sister and niece, but will they be able to find them before it is too late?

Chevy Stevens knows how to write a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. She draws you into the story and keeps you captivated from the start. Whenever I did pick up this book I would read until I could no longer keep my eyes open. I will let you know, not as a spoiler, but the end of this book had me in tears. I mean full out running down the face tears. I hope it will release the same emotions in you. Highly recommended.


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